H-2B

Ayer, cinco ex trabajadores con visa H-2B solicitaron una decisión final a la demanda interpuesta por los sueldos que se les deben a ellos y a miles de otros trabajadores.

Yesterday, five former H-2B workers demanded a resolution to a long-fought battle over the wages owed to them and thousands of other workers. 

Cuando viene a trabajar a los Estados Unidos, es posible que su empleador lo anime a vivir en una vivienda suya y que él administra. Aunque este arreglo puede parecer conveniente, en algunos casos, la vivienda provista por el empleador puede facilitar que su patrón le robe sus salarios o lo presione a vivir en condiciones inseguras e inhumanas. Para evitar la explotación, es muy importante conocer sus derechos y saber cómo reportar las violaciones.

When you come to work in the United States, your employer may encourage you to live in housing provided by the company. While such an arrangement may seem convenient, in some cases employer-provided housing can make it easier for your boss to steal your wages or pressure you into living in unsafe and inhumane conditions. To avoid these kinds of abuses, it is important to know your rights and know how to protect them.

Last weekend, La Jornada published an article about a group of people from a number of communities in the state of Oaxaca who have filed a complaint against a fraudulent recruiter who conned them, promising a passport, a U.S. work visa, and a secure job in the state of Texas.

“We were promised that there plenty of work. We traveled to the U.S. with the dream of  having greater financial stability than we have here in our Mexico. But in the end we were not given as many hours as we had been promised.”

- Testimony by “Ana,” a Mexican woman, about her experience working in the United States with an H-2B visa.

“Nos prometieron que iba a haber mucho trabajo. Nos fuimos con la grande ilusión de tener una solvencia económica quizás mejor que la que tenemos acá en nuestro México. Pero al fin de cuentas no cumplieron con todas las horas que nos prometieron.”

- Testimonio de “Ana,” una mujer mexicana, sobre su experiencia trabajando en los Estados Unidos con la visa H-2B

On December 7, 2015, the Regional Labor Mobility Initiative (INILAB) launched the campaign, “Before you pay for a visa, Ask, Write Down, and Verify,” or #PreguntaApuntaVerifica, which aims to prevent fraud affecting migrant workers during the labor recruitment process.